Many New Yorkers sleep with their cellphones next to their heads and were jolted awake by the early morning text message that described the tan 1995 Lexus that police were looking for in connection with an alleged abduction.

“I think it was not effective. I didn’t know what was going on,” Mitchell said. “It was disorienting. I don’t know if I could have done anything to help that situation at that hour in my apartment.”

The complaint has echoed around New York as more people learn about the “Wireless Emergency Alerts” program. The program goes into effect for AMBER Alerts, which are used when children are abducted or missing, and for other important government notifications.

“It is designed to give emergency information to people on their phones because it’s something that they always have with them,” technology writer Arik Hesseldahl said.